The Fiscal Year 1993 Bush Budget: Still Not Tackling the Nation's Problems.

On January 29, 1992, the Bush Administration unveiled its fiscal year 1993 budget. An examination of the budget reveals a substantial gap between the administration's rhetoric concerning the budget and what the budget actually contains. An analysis reveals a budget that continues to give priority to defense over domestic spending, one that favors the very wealthy, one that has a lack of benefits to low-income families, and one that contains little to boost the economy in the short term. The budget also risks retarding long-term growth rather than enhancing it and proposes that legislation be enacted placing a ceiling on total entitlement program costs each year. The budget weakens the finances of state and local governments. These issues, along with the Administration's proposal to merge 24 disparate programs into a mega-block grant to states, are discussed in the chapters of this document. Appended are tables that indicate the budget proposal's impact on the states, proposed changes in low-income funding (FY 1992-FY 1993), and a "New York Times" editorial. (RR)